A bit of New Jersey on the West Coast
DINING OUT
A reader recently called about a great hot sandwich he’d had for
lunch -- the best since leaving the East Coast. The sandwich: The
Jersey Shore. The place: Where else -- Jersey Joe’s Italian Deli on
Olive Avenue in Huntington Beach.
All you New Jerseyites will find a home in this small (five tables
inside, three out), casual deli and recognize the familiar brands of
the canned salsa and spaghetti sauces that fill the shelves in front
of the order counter.
The sandwiches are named for family members, well-known Jerseyites
and places. Owner Joe Carchio named this neighborhood deli for
himself -- Jersey Joe. Of the 20 sandwiches, 11 are hot and served on
bread from the Great Dane Bakery, and nine are cold with every
possible cheese and meat combination.
The Springsteen (Small, 6” $4.99, Large 12” $7.29) is lots of lean
hot corned beef (brisket cured in brine) piled high in a soft crusted
French roll with sliced pepperoncini to give it pizazz. The beef is
tender and small and is a satisfying size with mustard and mayo for a
quick lunch.
There are four varieties of hot dogs ($2.99, $3.99), including the
Pulaski ($2.99), a Polish dog piled with slender-cut sauerkraut and
plenty of mustard. It’s a Vienna beef frank in a French roll that
brought back memories of Fort Monmouth in World War II. Memories are
served at Jersey Joe’s too, with a big photo of the Rat Pack and
Frank Sinatra, New Jersey’s favorite son.
It’s not all beef and hot dogs, says Manager Nate Harelson from
Washington, D.C. One sandwich that is ordered the most is Brick Town
Joey, with plenty of turkey breast, bacon and avocado topped with
cheese. Shredded lettuce, tomato and red onion make this a healthy
cold sandwich that will keep you going until dinner. Salads, soups
and pasta fill out the menu.
A disappointment, however, was the pasta -- a generous portion of
al dente spaghetti ($4.99, with meatballs $1) but very skimpy on the
marinara sauce, a thick puree that lacked the fresh taste of juicy
tomato pieces and onions. The golf-sized meatballs were heavy and
without the touch of garlic that would spike them up.
Jersey Joe’s opened four months ago and plans to serve breakfast
in a month, according to partner Tony Zazula, who will have a variety
of coffees, bagels and Danish from Great Dane at a “wake-up” opening
time of 4:30 a.m. Joe is also in the process of getting a pedi-bike
to deliver call-in orders around Downtown.
* MARY FURR is the Independent restaurant critic. If you have
comments or suggestions, call (562) 493-5062 or e-mail
hbindy@latimes.com.
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